From GregB - Finishing AHPC XVI With The XVIth (20 points)

Siege Breaker Consul and assault marines from the Sons of Horus. Resin figures from GW/Forge World.

The time flies by, and like so many Challengers I'm just under the wire with this one. I wanted to conclude my run in the XVIth edition of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge with something fitting, and I figured some Space Marines from the XVIth Legion Astartes would do the trick. Here we have a Siege Breaker Consul and three assault marines in the fine colours of The Warmaster's own, the Sons of Horus.

Siege Breaker Consul

"So...anyone have anything that needs breaking?"

What does a "Siege Breaker Consul" do? Sounds like a bit of a made-up job...one has the impression he conducts sieges...but job title implies he "breaks" sieges so maybe his job is instead to bust up sieges attempted by opponents...who knows? But he clearly is out to break things. I mean, look at that hammer. Like they say, when you walk around with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Woe betide the foes of The Warmaster when this chap shows up. 

In addition to the giant hammer, he obviously has a really amazing wireless plan, with unlimited 5G data, great roaming options and no hidden fees...

Love that 5G intergalactic roaming in the year 30k...

I like the little portable data terminal attached to his power armour, with a little projected 3d map, presumably of some target he is about to annihilate via an orbital strike or some other manner of Age of Darkness doom. 

Bright yellow "safety grenades" on the rear of the power pack. This chap has all sorts of grenades.

This is a resin figure from GW's "Age of Darkness" range. I'm not the biggest fan of GW's resin, but thankfully things were not too bendy. Besides, he is wearing the Mark VI "beakie" power armour and, well, I'm a sucker any models wearing that kit! 

Assault Marines

Ready to jump into the action...

These are old, old resin figures - the marines are wearing Mark IV armour. They are resin models from Forge World, circa 2012. I have re-painted them to ensure their green armour matches that of the other Sons of Horus in my collection, part of my ongoing long-term program to placate the OCD hobby monkey in brain. 

Will re-painted figures suffer the same fate as newly-painted figures?

The officer has a comb on his helmet (hilarious) and an extra-large chainsword, for those jobs that need serious chopping. The other marines are kitted out in the more traditional bolt-pistol-and-chainsword combo common to the Astartes assault troops. With these three finished, I have completed the necessary repainting to put my old squad of 15 of these fellows back into the battle line - with a tone of green armour that will match that of their colleagues and thereby sooth the rampaging OCD hobby monkey in my head.

Love the double-handed chainsword. A silly weapon made even sillier. Brilliant.

So for points, we have a total of four 28mm foot figures in this submission- that should be good for 20 points. And that's that for me with AHPC XVI!

Big Thank You

I want to thank Curt and Sarah for hosting another edition of the Painting Challenge, and to thank all of the Challengers for sharing their work and their comments. I also want to thank everyone on the Thursday crew for their patience and their tremendous brushwork. Take care everyone...see you all again in December!

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A wonderful parting shot from you, dude, and made even better as they are from your favourite Legion of the Horus Heresy. The 'vintage' (is 2012 old enough for vintage - I think so) assault marines look excellent and suitably ferocious with their chainswords and heretical thoughts. But the star of the show is obviously the impressive 'Siege Breaker Consul'. Like you Greg, I'm somewhat mystified by his title, but like many thinks in the GrimDark Future I think its best not to ask silly questions. With his iPlate Pro and 'Task Hammer' he's obviously an important guy with important things to... blow up. Best to leave him to it. Fabulous figure though! I love the tablet detail that you've done and all his attendant kit is wonderfully painted. Fantastic stuff, my friend and four more fine additions to your heresy, er, liberator force. 

Finally, thank you for being our Thursday minion and for providing such great comments to so many of the entries this year. It really makes a difference. 

Same time next year? I think so!

- Curt 

From GregB: More Legions Imperialis Marines (44.5 points)

Some more "Legions Imperialis" Space Marines - these ones in the lovely green of the Warmaster's own legion, the Sons of Horus.

I have been doing a lot of painting, but I'm not too focused on any particular project. Thus my efforts are spread all over the place, and I've very little to show in terms of actual completed work. Thus I'm back this week with only a few odds and ends from GW's "Legions Imperialis" game, the reboot of the classic small-scale "Epic" game set in the Horus Heresy setting. There are elements from two different Legions Astartes - the Sons of Horus and the Thousand Sons. 

XVI Legion - The Sons of Horus

High command base for the Sons of Horus.

To the surprise of nobody, I already have a chunk of figures painted for this, the finest of the Legions Astartes. But you can always use more basic infantry. And in the case of the Sons of Horus, my initial efforts really disappointed me...I was pleased with the vehicles, but my method on the original infantry looked sloppy - I didn't care for how the green turned out. And if you don't like the green...well...the Warmaster won't be pleased, will he?

Tactical Marines and their Rhino APCs.

I had assumed I would not be able to replicate the green recipe from my 28mm collection on these smaller troops. But decided to experiment with it...and...well, it's actually not too bad! I like these much more. I painted up a high-command stand, and then a tactical detachment comprised of four bases. They also have Rhino APCs to give them a ride on the battlefield. 

Re-painted dreadnoughts - I like these much better!

Chuffed with the results on the infantry, I pulled the dreadnoughts I had completed before out of the box...knowing now that I could have done the nicer green on them drove me nuts - the OCD hobby monkey in mind started to scream and break things, so I opted to do a re-paint on them. Boom - OCD monkey at peace...for now...

Mobile fire support - Rapier on the right, "Quad Launcher" on the left.

To keep building up the firepower we have a couple of tracked fire-support platforms. Long-time Space Marine fans will probaly recognize the Rapier. The other one is a "quad launcher" - heir to the famous "Thudd Guns" of yore. There are supposed to be four tracked platforms in the unit, but I f*cked up a pair of the chassis from the box, so the XVI Legion will have to settle for a pair of them for now. 

Ready to drop some ordnance on those who would defy the Warmaster!

Finally, the Whirlwind is a classic mobile artillery support system for the Space Marines. The plastic kists for these are just lovely, and they allow for you to make two variants. These are "Scorpius" variants, with ammunition that hits vehicles a little harder at the expense of covering a much smaller target area. I just love the look of these things. Again...the kits have LOTS of tiny pieces, so assemble with care, but, wow, credit where credit is due - these are just a real treat to paint up.

XV Legion Astartes

A bit more fire support for Magnus' sons. 

A much smaller component for the Thousand Sons, but considering this collection is just getting started, they'll take it!

Beakies with shark-fin-style missile launchers - a classic!

Rhino APC with fancy markings for the "devestator" unit. 

Up first we have heavy support marines and their Rhino APC. If you look carefully, fans will recognize the classic "shark-fin" style missile launcher has been replicated in this scale. Now, this is a bit of a b*tch, as they come in two parts! But whatever frustration caused in gluing these tiny Marines together is lost once you are painting them - just wonderful to have "beakie" style Marines with these weapons. 

Mobile rocket artillery for the Thousand Sons.

Even space wizards need mobile firepower...

Finally, since I had assembled all of the Whirlwinds from the box, I thought I would paint two of them up for the Thousand Sons as well. You get eight models in a box, so there is still more to do there - maybe I'll even paint some for the poor loyalists? 

Let's get to the tally of points:

39 x 6mm infantry: 18.5 points

2 x 6mm crewed guns: 2 points

12 x 6mm vehicles: 24 points

Total: 44.5 points 

That's all for this week - hope to have more stuff next week. Cheers!

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Sylvain: How can you make so many details pop out on these tiny models? Maybe I need some of your painting recipe? Anyway, another smashing demonstration of your mastery of everything 30k. The master will be pleased, very pleased indeed. Fabuleux!

 

 

From GregB - Legions Imperialis Infantry Bits (46 points)

Space Marines and Solar Auxilia for "Legions Imperialis" 

One last submission for AHPC XV to share - this collection of Legions Imperialis infantry. These are 6mm plastic figures from GW, for their rebooted game of "Epic", which allows players to recreate the battles of the Horus Heresy in grand scale! The green chaps comprise an Assault Detachment and a Terminator Detachment for the XVI Legion Astartes, the Sons of Horus. The little blue fellows are a Solar Auxilia detachment - unlike my 28mm Space Bavarians, I've no particular notion for them yet...their anonymity provides flexibility for scenario purposes - they can fight for whichever side might work for the game that night. 

Legion Astartes

Cataphractii Terminators in 6mm...still scary-looking, even at small size.

Let's start with the Sons of Horus, although there is not a ton to say...Assault Marines and Terminator Marines are grouped into smaller, supporting detachments of four stands. I thought it would be best to at least get one of each type done for my Sons of Horus. 

Even in 6mm, the Cataphractii-plated Terminators exude an ominous "f*ck around and find out" vibe. I do have to hand it to GW - even if they completely f*cked up the launch and rollout of this game, the sculpting and quality of the models is very high. 

Assault Marines ready to hop into action (sigh, lame...but...whatever...I'm tired)

The Assault Marines, with their jump packs...it is the same, I am impressed with the tiny details, even if many are beyond my brush skills. If you are a fan of the Horus Heresy setting, you will love the models (not too sure about the rules on the other hand, but that is for another blog post). 

Solar Auxilia

Ready to stand...either for, or against, The Emperor...flexibility is key...

I find the force-assembly rules of for the new Legions Imperialis rules to be a touch Byzantine, and definitely prone to causing headaches, but if I understood correctly, this batch of models would be able to represent a pretty basic detachment (sans vehicle or transport support) for the Solar Auxilia. What you see here comprises the entirety of a single sprue, save for the Sentinels, which I never got around to painting in time for this post.

Love all the crazy command figures!

Again, the figure design is great. If you are a nerd like me, you will find much to love on these tiny figures, from the assorted whacky command and support types, to the vexillary...so many (literally) small details done up nicely. 

Velatari in the foreground - with axes, natch. Regular lasrifle troops at the rear.

It's BBQ time! Mind the gap there lads...

The Auxilia count on support from Velatari...units with fancier weapons. In this case, we have chaps with power axes because of course, and fellows carrying heavy flamers because even more of course. Will a flamethrower solve that problem? Yes? Then let's send ten of them, shall we? Do tell the lads to be careful with their formation...

Charonite Ogryns all set to break things, or people, or both!

The bigger things are Charonite Ogryns. The back story is too long for here, but just imagine "ogres + combat drugs + power claws" and you pretty much have it. These are ugly models (no matter the scale), and I found them particularly difficult and frustrating to try and paint in this scale. But here they are...

For scoring purposes, we have the following:

- 85 x 6mm infantry models = 42.5 points

- 4 x 6mm monsters ("cav") = 4 points

Half points are dumb - so let's call it 46 points! This will get me to oh-so-close to my AHPC XV points target, but shamefully falling short all the same. Oh well - there is always next Challenge!

Thanks to Curt and Sarah for hosting, and to my fellow minions for their assistance. Also a huge thanks to all who took the time to share encouraging comments and feedback. Great work all around everyone, and I hope to see you all in Challenge XVI! Take care everyone!

GregB

Wow, Greg, what a way to end the Challenge! I paint a lot of 6mm myself, but these definitely put those to shame. Such neat and crisp painting, the picking out of just the right details, the vibrancy of the colours, they are absolutely stunning! I know that they are great sculpts too, and that certainly helps, but your brushwork really makes the difference and does them more than  justice. The command stand with the vexillum is particularly awesome. The frustration in some cases, though I definitely feel your pain, has not had any influence on the great result you achieved. I agree that half points are a no-go, so let's make it 50. Excellent work, and thanks for all your great submissions (and arduous service!). 

Martijn

From GregB - 30k Sicaran Battle Tank (30 Points)

Space Marine "Sicaran" tank for the Horus Heresy - 28mm multi-part resin model from Forge World. 

Greetings all! Not too much to share this week. Here we have a Sicaran tank from GW's Horus Heresy range. These days one can acquire this model in beautiful, multi-part plastic, but this is NOT that kit. It is, rather, an old veteran of Forge World's resin 30k range. It is painted in the colours of the XVI Legion Astartes, the Warmaster's own Sons of Horus.

Lovely lines AND lots of guns - perfect for Space Marines looking for that "sporting ride" in war time...

Space Marines have soooooo many tanks they can use to crush their enemies. There is a kind of spectrum in their designs, ranging from compact and brutal-looking, up toward medium-sized and brutal-looking, and on from their toward really-really-large and brutal-looking. Sure, some the speeders and jet bikes are sleek-looking things, but when it comes to tanks and troop carriers, the Space Marines want everything to look like it is coming to crush you - because, well, that is what is going to happen.

Auto cannons that are widely feared on Age of Darkness gaming tables.

But the Sicaran design stands somewhat apart...like the designers' brief said something along the lines of "killer Space Marine tank, but, you know, with a 'BMW' vibe...make it more of a sports-car-tank." And so, out with the troop compartment! Let's lower that silhouette a touch! And maybe not quite SO much slab-style armour? Guns, well, OBVIOUSLY, but, you know, a cool turret with rapid-firing auto cannons!

The Space Marines are not very "hip", but to the extent any hipsters survive the genetic conditioning process necessary to create Space Marines in the year 30,000 I'm sure they will all want to crew the Sicaran tank squadrons. These tanks race around the battlefield, they look cool doing it, and the weapons they bring to bear are effective against a wide assortment of targets, from protestors to xenos troublemakers to deluded "loyalist" Space Marines. While the standard turret mounting the auto cannons as seen here is the general favorite, there are all sorts of whacky alternate turret weapon mounts available too for hipster crews that wish to slay in a more unique, if still stylish, fashion.

Horus for hope!

As noted above this an old resin model from Forge World, and this is a re-paint, part of an ongoing campaign to bring a consistent look to the green armour for all of the Sons of Horus troops and vehicles in my collection. Such conformity stills my inner hobby OCD brain monkey...for a time, at least, until I must turn to the next batch of troops and vehicles who require a similar update.

Scoring-wise, we have a single 28mm vehicle, which should be good for 20 points. That's all for this week - thanks for reading! 

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Another great addition to your Legion Greg, I'm sure the additional ranged firepower will come in quite handy.

I know (from looking down the barrels of Reilly's Sicarian) that this is quiet a beast of a model so I'm awarding an additional 10 points for its sheer mass!

- Paul

From GregB - Sons of Horus Devastators (25 points)

Sons of Horus Devastator Marines - classic resin figures from GW. 

As we settle in to our regular weekly posting pace, I am trying to focus on clearing out some projects from the old "I am going to finish that project, no really, I am" pile. This little palette-cleanser comes from that pile. This is a group of Devastator Marines (i.e. carrying heavy weapons) painted in the stirring colours of the XVI Legion Astartes, the Warmaster's own Sons of Horus. These are multi-part resin figures from GW's Forge World subsidiary/division/whatever it is called now.

View of a couple of the Marines, showing the weapon and the embossed legion crest on the shoulder.

In the "Age of Darkness" there are a lot of scary things! Things that will trouble even the superhuman Space Marine warriors! Fortunately there are all sorts of scary heavy weapons for them to carry around. And no need to spread them out or anything...better to have them running around in groups. Right? I mean, if shooting one thing with a big laser cannon is good, then shooting it with five must be better - much wiser to be certain you will cook what needs to be cooked...

This fellow looks to be tracking a higher target...given all of the terrifying stuff stalking the battlefields of the 30k universe, I'm sure he won't be short of targets...

These heavy-weapon-toting Marines are known as "Devastators" in the game, and these particular ones are carrying las cannons, so they are focused on wrecking vehicles and heavily armoured gribblies to be found in the 30k setting. These guys will augment a five-man squad that is already in my collection, bringing it to 10 Marines (all with the consistent green on the armour, soothing the OCD monkey in my head), ready to really wreck some sh*t in the name of The Warmaster!

This guy looks to be appreciating the after effects of one of his shots...you can also see the spare energy cell for the weapon hanging from the back pack - a nice touch on these classic Forge World sculpts.

"Take aim lads...for The Warmaster!"

These particular Marines are wearing Mark III plate, probably the best design that GW ever came up with for the Horus Heresy setting. These kits have since been re-issued as multi-part plastic kits - twice - and the plastics are pretty nice, but can't match the grim, cold, merciless air of this mark of power armour. They look even more terrifying with the lascannons. 

For scoring purposes, we have five 28mm figures, which should account for 25 points. And there are two skullz in there on the chest plates too!

Thanks for reading! 

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Lovely addition to your growing Legion Greg, and they will bring some serious POW to your force! I do like the baroque Mk III armour styles, and the classic Lascannon. My own World Eaters tend to just bash their opponents over the head with said Lascannons instead of shooting them though, which is highly amusing and much more fun, even though it must do nothing for the fragile targeting alignment. Still, Blood for the Blood God and all that!

-Paul

From GregB - Sons of Horus Breacher Marines (70 points)

A squad of Breacher Marines from the XVI Legion Astartes. 28mm multi-part resin figures from GW. 

Greetings once more to all Challengers! It is a delight to be spending winter with all of you once more, tackling projects old and new while making a dent in the piles of unpainted plastic and resin that haunt all of us. I'm glad to open the 15th Edition of the Challenge with a familiar theme, and veteran Challenge participants will hardly be surprised to see that I have returned once again to GW's "Age of Darkness" setting, the great, galaxy-spanning civil war of the Horus Heresy, known colloquially as "Warhammer 30k". This is a squad of 10 Breacher Marines, resplendent in the colours of the Warmaster's own XVI Legion, the Sons of Horus. They are multi-part resin models from GW. 

Three of the breacher Marines...you can see the fellow in the middle suffers from dimpled surfaces and frosting caused by a defective matte varnish spray from back in 2016. The repainting helps a bit...but still...f*ck spray paints.

Breaching Marines are great fun. We can sense just how dire things must be in the Horus Heresy setting when it becomes necessary to take a super-human soldier clad in super-amazing power armour and say, "you know, we should give those chaps a giant pavisse-style shield, you know, because safety". I love the proto-medieval look of this variant of the Mark III power armour, and how the shields have the little "hooks" that allow the Space Marines to brace and fire their weapons while on the move. Brilliant sculpts.

Fans of the Horus Heresy are enjoying a veritable golden age in terms of new figures and models...but these are not new. They are rather old, and have been re-painted as part of an ongoing effort to bring my large collection of 30k Sons of Horus models, painted over a now 10-year timeframe, into some manner of consistent appearance. You see, my hobby mind has a peculiar affliction - that of the screaming-inside-OCD monkey. Certain things - like an inconsistency in the green armour of a Sons of Horus collection, for example - cause this monkey to scream and throw things in my mind. 

Love the shields! These are some of GW's finest 30k sculpts...and there are a lot of great 30k sculpts!

These particular figures were first painted back in 2016, right as I switched over to my current approach toward painting the vaguely-blue-but-mostly-still-green armour of the Sons of Horus. This squad was painted mid-change...with about three models painted using my current approach, and the other seven painted using a previous approach (which involved many pointless glazing layers). Mixed greens within the collection were bad enough...but within one squad? The OCD monkey does NOT APPROVE! I found I could NOT deploy these in good faith knowing - and seeing! - the different greens. What would the Warmaster think??

Sergeant on the left, and a special-weapon trooper wielding a lascutter (great for opening the hulls of ships, or the armour of enemies...whatever). 

Thus I soothe - ever so slightly - the screaming inner monkey by re-painting the lost squads and vehicles a few at a time...and this is how I am kicking off Challenge XV! These Breachers are now properly ready to "stand in the line." I will shamelessly exploit the "Limbo" theme for this purpose - after all, these WERE a stalled project of a sort, from back in 2016 :) That's ten 28mm infantry figures, and 20 points for a theme, which should count for 70 points - a fair start toward my target, and a nice little start for our 30k duel. Even better, two of these guys are wearing skullz - so that is TWO skulls :)

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Greg, it's great to see you launch your opening gambit with this set of venerable-but-wonderful models. Like you, I've always been taken by the whole ridiculous idea of Breacher Marines and as you say these models are marvellously baroque with their bronze chased slab armour and spooky grilled helmets. Terrific stuff. And then there is the added bonus of the 'new' legion livery which placates your OCD monkey while making the force more cohesive. The Warmaster will be pleased. All is good in the world... Until of course you cast your eye upon the next unit of heretical off-colour models and the process deliciously repeats itself. I look forward to it!

70 points is is my friend. Well done and welcome back to the Challenge. 

- Curt

From GregB - Sons of Horus Whirlwind Artillery Tank (20 Points)

Here comes some more hope! A Whirlwind Scorpius, ready to fire in support of The Warmaster's noble Space Marines...

I've been away from the Challenge for a couple of weeks now, owing to the disruptions caused by a move to a new house. I'm thankful to report the relocation to Toronto is mostly complete - or, at least, the macro-parts of it are, in that I am now in Toronto, and my stuff is also in Toronto, mostly at the same location. Still a lot of unpacking etc. to go through, but I am desperate to get some hobby stuff in so here we go. This is a Scorpius-variant Whirlwind artillery tank, a 28mm multi-part resin-and plastic model once sold by Forge World, another re-paint project for my Sons of Horus collection from GW's "Horus Heresy" setting.  

Assorted lenses and scanners - no doubt the turret is equipped with the latest in 5G tech - to ensure the rockets arrive on time and on target.

We all know the kind and benevolent Horus Lupercal, Warmaster and last of hope of humanity for liberation from the yoke of tyranny beneath the so-called "Emperor", is a figure of hope. But, you know, sometimes "hope" needs to be backed up with "high-explosives", and whenever that combination is called for the Marines in his legion can count on vehicles like this.

It would have been smart to put a decal of some kind on that rear hatch...but I have no idea where my decals are right now...

Wall-hugging tools like Rogal Dorn and his VII Legion might run around building this-and-that, but the Whirlwind Scorpius ensures none of these walls are too much of a barrier, raining a steady stream of high-explosive guided munitions down on the heads of the fools dumb enough to simultaneously reject the obvious majesty of The Warmaster AND wear bright yellow to a battle. Backed by this sort of artillery, we can count on the XVI Legion Astartes to keep hope on the march through the galaxy at a brisk pace.

Ready to fire!

This vehicle is a mix of resin and plastic model components, but as with so many models in my collection, this vehicle is now available from GW as a full stand-alone plastic kit. Naturally, my response is to finally be provoked into painting and/or re-painting my pre-existing models, but I do expect I'll paint up one of the newer all-plastic models at some point. Maybe for the lonely losers on the loyalist side of the equation? Can't have them pouting, after all...

Another properly re-painted model to sooth the screaming hobby monkey...

Scoring-wise, this is a 28mm vehicle, and it counts for 20 points. Is it ROMANTIC to imagine the steady rain of high explosive rockets raining down on the heads of the Imperial Fists and other loyalist schlubs? I mean, it would certainly look pretty...but we have only 20 points nonetheless :)

Now I completely understand the trials and tribulations of moving house, but is that a reason to go absolutely ballistic? Of course it is, and I am very glad you did, Greg. Now that is some great gear to teach those misguided miscreants an explosive lesson. A fabulous model once more. Good that you and your stuff are mostly together again, but it's a pity about the decal... Seriously, a very fine piece of work, albeit only for a measly 20 points. That's what it is, but glorious points they are and those who are of the true conviction don't care about the cost, no? Well done!

Martijn

From GregB - ...and finish with a BIG FRIGGING TANK (30 points)

Here comes "Hope" - you had best be prepared for it...Fellblade for the XVI Legion.

For my second submission today we will remain in the same setting, but switch scale rather dramatically, moving on from very small models of light Space Marine vehicles to this one very big model of a very, very heavy piece of Space Marine armour. This is a Fellblade super-heavy tank painted (no surprise) in the colours of the XVI Legion Astartes. This is a Forge World model, and like my Contemptor Dreadnought last week, it is a re-paint project, part of my ongoing OCD-brain-monkey-management efforts to ensure important parts of kit in my collection have the same shade of green.

Motivational poster for the year 30,000. My thanks to Kevin H for making this image for me many years ago...it is always fun...

Who could be against "Hope"? Why, no reasonable being could be against such a sentiment...but sadly, it seems, the universe of the year 30,000 is full of unreasonable people, and thus "Hope" must be delivered rather directly at times. One must choose to believe in the hope represented by Horus Lupercal, because those who foolishly stand against him no hope at all...

 

Horus for hope!

"Hope" here will deliver using a variety of tools...let's see, checking over the spec sheet we have the "Turret Mounted Fellblade Accelerator Cannon" that will help ensure a level playing field in every community. There is the "Hull Mounted Demolisher Cannon" which can help any community reach net-zero goals by eliminating the emissions of residents, particularly loyalist ones. There are two "Sponson Mounted Lascannon Arrays" providing high doses of "green energy" to assorted deserving targets. There is also a "Twin Linked Heavy Bolter" on the front to ensure community safety. 

So many big guns!

You'll need whisky if this thing comes at you...

Quad laser cannons too...because quad laser cannons!

"Drive closer, I'll finish them off personally..."

And if all of those weapons are not enough, we have the tank commander brandishing his bolt pistol. Because Space Marines. Sometime "Hope" requires a personal touch, and this crew is ready to accommodate that!

 

Not exactly low emissions for this vehicle, but just as in our time, in the future it's OK to cause emissions as long as you are a "green".

This is a fairly old model, one which I could not assemble myself and only have thanks to the resin-model-building talents of occasional Challenge participant Steve B of Winnipeg.

View of the gunner, complete with targeter mounted on his helmet.

As you can surely surmise from this bonkers weapons assortment, the Fellblade lies at the very, very heavy end of the armoured vehicle selection for the Space Marine Legions. The weapon loadout is daunting and will dominate in any small game, so unless one is staging a rather large battle (on a rather large table to boot) it is best used in niche-scenarios. For example, we deployed it one time as a knocked-out objective...which unfortunately for the loyalists, still had working main weapons in the turret, as they learned to their hilarious disappointment... 

Another view of the turret.

Who has just ONE big gun, when you can have TWO?

It is great to have this re-painted now to match my preferred shade of green, as this monster has pride of place on the shelf, and the hobby-OCD-monkey will be soothed as it notes how the tank "fits" colour-wise with other pieces of the collection. 

Let's roll!!

In terms of points...well, this is a 28mm vehicle. A big frigging 28mm vehicle. But still one 28mm vehicle...so that's another 20 points, plus 2.5 points per crew member, so perhaps together they would count for five points, for a total of 25 points.

Hold out hope for Horus! Because you have no hope if you hold out!

What a tanker! Good to see ole' JD still being around in the 31st Millennium, although by that time "old" might no longer be the best word to describe it. Such a nice little detail, Greg. A smashing job on this grossly over-armed monstrosity. The Challenge Scoring System being what it is, it is what it is, even if your tank occupies half your standard 6x4 table. May it be some small solace that if  there ever was a 28mm vehicle in the Challenge, this is it.  However, methinks it  definitely qualifies for a Completely  Ridiculously Oversized Bonus of 5 points. Thus, great job and 30 points.

Martijn